1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laser processing device and a laser processing method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a laser processing device for and a laser processing method of inspecting a liquid crystal display panel for a defect, for example, and removing the defect by radiating a laser beam to the defective portion.
2. Description of the Background Art
The liquid crystal display panels are coming in frequent use for various kinds of electronic equipments in these days. Also, the quantity of information displayed in a liquid crystal display panel has been increasing, so that liquid crystal display panels with high display density are in demand. In order to increase the display density, it is required to thin wiring patterns between liquid crystal indicators and terminals and also to narrow intervals between adjacent patterns.
When the density of the pattern is increased, however, patterns adjacent to each other may be electrically connected because of insufficient etching in the etching process of the patterns. A liquid crystal repair device is used for detecting such defects and producing good products. In a conventional liquid crystal repair device, a liquid crystal display panel to be inspected is provided on a stage, and a head movable in the directions of X, Y, and Z is provided thereabove, to which a CCD camera and a laser beam source are attached. The wiring patterns are image-sensed by the CCD camera. An operator, while observing it in a monitoring television, finds out a portion in which adjacent patterns are connected with each other, to which portion a laser beam emitted from the laser beam source is radiated to burn off the defective portion between patterns.
In order to find out a defective portion of a liquid crystal panel with such a liquid crystal repair device, the XY stage must be moved so that the portion objective to the inspection is brought in a center portion of a visual field. To move the XY stage, instructions are made by manually operating a transport handle or by electrically operating switches. There has been a problem, however, that it is troublesome for an inspector in a conventional manual transport handle method, and that the operation efficiency is not good. Handle operation causes a problem of vibration, especially when observing at a high magnification. In the electrical method, if a stage travel speed is relatively high, the XY stage cannot be stopped at a specified position due to over running in many cases. The tendency is especially strong when observing it at a high magnification. Furthermore, in a conventional liquid crystal repair device, there has been a disadvantage that the holding stiffness is low because the head in which the CCD camera and the laser beam source are provided is made movable in the X, Y directions.